| February 1 |
According to Armenian government statistics,
the country's total foreign debt rose 13 percent in 1999 and now stands
at $876 million. The Kocharian government forecasts an additional
rise for the current fiscal year and estimates that the foreign debt
will reach $938 million by the end of the year. Approximately 20 percent
of state revenue is used to service the debt. |
| February 3 |
A Slovak delegation led by Foreign Minister
Eduard Kukan arrives in Yerevan after a visit to Baku and meets with
President Kocharian to negotiate Slovak technical assistance in the
operational safety of the Armenian Medzamor nuclear power plant. Meeting
with Armenian Minister of Trade and Industry Garen Jshmaritian, Slovak
Economy Minister Lubomir Harach announces that the two countries are
close to concluding a joint project involving the production of synthetic
rubber and chemical products. The Slovak delegation also pledge their
government's support for the Armenian application for full membership
in the Council of Europe.
On a tour of towns in the middle of the country, Stepan Demirchian,
the recently elected leader of the People's Party of Armenia and son
of its slain founder, pledges to continue the party's policies and
vows to remain as the junior partner to the Republican Party of the
dominant Unity Bloc in parliament. Demirchian adds that the People's
Party rejects calls by some opposition parties for new presidential
elections.
By presidential decree, Nagorno Karabagh President Arkady Gukasyan
establishes a new state information department headed by academic
Alexander Grigorian. Grigorian was the press secretary to the first
Karabagh president and most recently served as a regional expert at
a Yerevan research institute.
Press reports, citing Armenian presidential spokesman Vahe Gabrielian,
reveal that Armenian President Kocharian has "offered two new
ideas" for resolving the Nagorno Karabagh to Azerbaijani President
Geidar Aliyev during their recent meeting at the Davos world economic
summit. Responding to the reports, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry
states that there was no significant progress made during the talks.
The Azerbaijani official also criticizes Nagorno Karabagh's new visa
requirement for all foreign visitors, a move which Baku contends is
a violation of Azerbaijan's sovereignty. According to the Azerbaijani
official, Azerbaijan will deny entrance to anyone with a Nagorno Karabagh
entry visa in their passport. |
| February 4 |
President Kocharian meets with leaders
of the country's main political parties and organizations for a wide
ranging discussion on economic issues and to brief them on his recent
foreign trips. The leader of the Orinats Yerkir party, Sergo Yeritsian,
commends the president for convening the meeting, calling it the "beginning
of a political dialogue" between the president and the political
parties. Opposition National Democratic Union (NDU) leader Vazgen
Manukian, who only last month called for Kocharian's resignation,
is also invited to a separate private meeting with Kocharian. |
| February 6-7 |
President Gukasyan and Foreign Minister
Naira Melkoumian meet with a visiting Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) delegation. The OSCE delegation, with
the assistance of the Karabagh Foreign Ministry and Defense Minister
Seyran Ohanian, will inspect the Karabagh border with Azerbaijan for
any cease-fire violations or provocative troop deployments. The OSCE
delegation is making their first visit to the region since the OSCE's
new chairing nation rotated to Austria last month. |
| February 7 |
In comments to the press following an
executive board meeting, the leadership of the Yerkrapah movement
states that their group will reject any proposed settlement to the
Nagorno Karabagh conflict which includes the return of any territory
currently held by Karabagh forces. Yerkrapah chairman Manvel Grigorian
adds that both public opinion and Yerkrapah approval are essential
to any peace deal. The Yerkrapah position is affirmed by Prime Minister
Aram Sarkisian and the majority Unity bloc in parliament, both stating
that any future peace deal must be subject to public approval. |
| February 8 |
Energy Minister David Zadoyan promises
"maximum transparency" in the current privatization of four
energy distribution enterprises and refutes press reports alleging
that the government is favoring the Russian Gazprom natural gas firm.
The World Bank has also expressed its concern over the process of
the privatization which has received offers from Spanish, Italian,
Swiss and U.S. corporations.
President Kocharian meets with leaders of the country's main political
parties for the second time in one week. After the meeting, Kocharian
announces that they have reached agreement on new legislation required
to meet the standards for full Council of Europe membership. Expecting
formal approval and the granting of full membership by the end of
the year, parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Hovannes
Hovannisian states that the proposed legislation will be acted upon
within the next month. |
| February 10 |
Prime Minister Aram Sarkisian states
that the calls for the president's resignation in the aftermath of
the attack on parliament were "understandable," but that
the current political instability in the country demands that the
president stay in office. The prime minister denies any "real
or deep disagreements" with the president but adds that there
is a degree of political tension in the current distribution of power
between the offices of president and prime minister. |
| February 11 |
President Kocharian holds a televised
briefing to report on his recent meeting with Azerbaijani President
Aliyev concerning the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. Kocharian notes that
their meetings, while positive, have failed to reach an agreement
on a specific formula for resolving the conflict and the two leaders
may again seek the aid of international mediation. Commenting on the
recent statement by the Yerkrapah group against the returning of lands,
the president says that any proposed settlement would be subject to
the approval of the Nagorno Karabagh and Armenian governments and
may also be put before the people in a national referendum.
In an interview published in the Armenian press, Karabagh President
Arkady Gukasyan states that the OSCE-led mediation efforts continue
despite a minor setback stemming from the late October attack on the
Armenian parliament. Gukasyan affirms that Nagorno Karabagh "must
participate as an equal part in the negotiation process" and
warns that if a settlement is imposed on Karabagh, it would be "fraught
with unpredictable consequences for the region." The president
adds that Azerbaijan must accept the reality of Nagorno Karabagh as
a "de-facto independent state" and rules out any suggestion
of a settlement returning Karabagh to Azerbaijani rule. Commenting
on the upcoming April parliamentary elections, President Gukasyan
states that his priority is to ensure that the elections are "free
and fair" and expresses hope that the new parliament will be
comprised of "representatives of the whole spectrum of Nagorno
Karabagh's political life."
Nagorno Karabagh Prime Minister Anushevan Danielian begins a ten day
tour of Europe during which he will hold a series of meetings with
business leaders to promote foreign investment and trade. The prime
minister will also meet with representatives of the Armenian communities
in several European countries. Danielian notes that there is significant
interest for investing in Karabagh among Swiss, Italian and Hungarian
business circles. |
| February 14 |
In statements to the press following
the conclusion of the two-week party congress of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF), party officials announce that Hrand Markarian has
been elected as the new chairman of the party's bureau, or ruling
leadership body. The ARF party congress warns of the dangers of the
serious socio-economic crisis in the country and the attempt by external
powers to force a settlement on the Armenians of Nagorno Karabagh.
A few days later, the ARF announces a new chairman of the ARF in Armenia,
parliamentarian Armen Rustamian, elected to replace the newly elected
overall party leader, Hrand Markarian. |
| February 15 |
The Nagorno Karabagh parliament convenes
its last session prior to being disbanded for new elections in April.
The session approves an agenda of fifteen legislative bills, including
measures to reform the prosecutor-general's office, the education
system, and veterans benefits. Karabagh Minister of Economy and Structural
Reforms Benik Babayan introduces a draft law on transportation seeking
to modernize the sector and to better regulate the nearly 60 percent
of the republic's public transport now run by private companies. |
February
15-16 |
President Robert Kocharian arrives
in Beirut on an official state visit and also to visit the sizable
Armenian community. The Armenian president is seeking to reach new
agreements to expand trade and investment. |
| February 17 |
Energy Commission head Vladimir Movsesian
announces that the government plans on maintaining the Medzamor nuclear
power plant at its current operational level until 2010. This announcement
contrasts with Armenia's pledge to the European Union to gradually
phase out operations of the country's sole nuclear facility until
its closure in 2006. The Medzamor facility provides roughly half of
the electricity generated in the country.
President Gukasyan meets with Antonio Montalto, the head of the international
humanitarian aid organization "Family Care." Montalto briefs
Gukasyan on the group's plans for expanding its network of maternity
care facilities beyond its clinics in Stepanakert and Mardakert. |
| February 19 |
President Kocharian meets with a delegation
of senior Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) leaders, including
Vahan Hovannisian, to discuss the status of the mediation efforts
on the Nagorno Karabagh conflict and the country's overall political
and economic situation. The ARF delegation tells Kocharian that they
find all the proposals offered to date by the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) unacceptable. They also advise the
president to place a more immediate focus on addressing the country's
economic and internal political problems. The same day, Prime Minister
Aram Sarkisian meets with representatives of the eight political parties
holding seats in the parliament and invites them to offer prospective
candidates for positions in a new coalition government. |
| February 20 |
Led by President Kocharian, a 20,000-strong
funeral procession through Yerevan observes the transfer to Armenia
of the remains of General Andranik Ozanian. General Andranik is buried
near former Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisian in Yerevan's Erablour
cemetery, the resting place for Armenians who lost their lives in
the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. The remains of General Andranik were
sent to Armenia a few day earlier from France's Pere Lachaise cemetery.
According to a newly released report, the Nagorno Karabagh government
has rebuilt over 350 private homes and buildings in the Mardakert
district since launching its reconstruction effort there in 1993.
The Karabagh government focused the rebuilding effort on the Mardakert
district, which suffered the most serious damage during the fighting
with Azerbaijan, and plans to introduce a new job creation program
in the coming weeks. |
| February 23 |
After negotiations with eight political
parties, Prime Minister Aram Sarkisian announces a new plan for altering
the composition and responsibilities of the cabinet, including the
reduction of ministries from 24 to 17. Sarkisian's proposed new cabinet
includes the Armenian Communist Party, for the first time since 1990,
and retains the key defense, national security, interior, justice
and foreign ministerial posts. The opposition National Democratic
Union (NDU) will hold the Minister of State Property post and former
Prime Minister Armen Darbinian will be dismissed as Economy Minister
as the ministry is to be merged with the Finance Ministry headed by
Levon Barkhudarian. |
| February 24 |
Former Defense Minister Samvel
Babayan refutes rumors that he is preparing to run for president of
Nagorno Karabagh and states that he is undecided whether he will directly
participate in the upcoming Karabagh parliamentary elections. Babayan,
who was removed as Defense Minister last summer and dismissed as Armed
Forces Commander in December after a heated conflict with Karabagh
President Arkady Gukasyan, still enjoys a degree of political power
and support in the republic. The Babayan statement is issued after
published comments by his brother, Stepanakert Mayor Garen Babayan,
suggesting that Babayan would be the next president of Karabagh. |
| February 25 |
French Senate declines to debate Armenian
Genocide...
President Gukasyan addresses the congress of the recently formed "Union
of Artsakh War Veterans," convened in Stepanakert to prepare
for the April parliamentary elections. Following the reading of supportive
messages from the Armenian president, prime minister and defense minister,
Karabagh Parliamentary Chairman Oleg Yessayan calls on the month-old
organization to unify all veterans and to mobilize support for the
government's policies to strengthen the armed forces and to strengthen
the rule of law. The congress elects a ruling 31-member board chaired
by Karabagh Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Balasanian.
The new Union claims seven thousand members throughout Karabagh and
is actively engaged in negotiations to incorporate the Karabagh Yerkrapah
veterans group into its organization. |
| February
27-28 |
Interior ministry official Armen Harutiunian
is arrested for allegedly failing to inform his superiors of his knowledge
of the planned October 27th attack on the Armenian parliament. A total
of fifteen people, including the five gunmen, are currently being
held in connection with the attack and subsequent killing of senior
government officials and ministers. Two Armenian courts issue separate
rulings the previous day rejecting the motions by former presidential
adviser Aleksan Harutiunian and deputy head of state television Harutiun
Harutiunian seeking the transfer of their cases from the military
prosecutor to the civilian prosecutor-general's office and affirm
that there is sufficient grounds to proceed with the case. |
| February 28 |
Nagorno Karabagh Deputy Foreign Minister
Ashot Ghoulian and Foreign Ministry political departmental chief Masis
Malian brief a visiting delegation of officials from the OSCE. The
delegation is in Stepanakert to prepare an OSCE coordinated monitoring
system along the Karabagh-Azerbaijan border. The personal representatives
of the OSCE Chairman-in-office recently completed a tour of the south-eastern
districts of Karabagh and verified the continuing cease-fire agreement
in effect in the region since May 1994. |